It’s been an exciting month and yet another highlight of this beautiful weather was meeting up with national wakeboard champion and female inspiration, Charlotte Bryant.
Forget about the end goal for a minute, or where you’re aiming towards, because Charlotte is giving us some ‘air time’ to experience something special…
‘There is no other feeling like it’, and it certainly looks that way. If the sponsors and competition pushing you forward on a day to day basis aren’t enough, there is definitely an internal urge to be better – a desire to always keep pushing forward and keep hold of that ‘feeling’ which turns a sport into a love, passion and ultimately a ‘title’.
If there isn’t a smile or grimace across your face when you’re doing it, then what’s the point? Whether it be the ‘competition who are smashing it’, or saying yes to venturing charted or uncharted territory, be it in Ireland, Latvia, or China, it’s clear and inspiring to see she isn’t riding purely for the title. When it becomes your life, there is so much more invested.
As a clothing brand, one thing we stand by through our ethos and mission is that action is key. Charlotte also clearly lays this out in her explanation of how she engages with her sport. From British nationals coming up next week, to the Europeans, and the World Cup, if anything is evident, it’s that showing up is what makes someone a good sport.
As well as running a wake camp in Bulgaria in October, Charlotte also coaches wake-boarding day to day, which is a great skill that few people can do well. Yet when you understand the importance of mental strength, and how it portrays itself in the minds of others when you convey it with belief and confidence in your self, the change you see in-front of you can be magnificent.
Charlotte explains how she puts this thought process into her own training, resulting in her finding the positive side to everything.
It’s not often you meet a girl who is so badass she’s blown every piece of tissue, bone, muscle and ligament that makes up her knee and find her on a wakeboard hitting up five forties and flipping over the wake with such ease, sporting a knee brace instead of a doctor’s note excusing participation in a thrill packed life. You know this girl means business.
She has made her love and passion her lifestyle. Sitting in the boat during her training session last week, it struck us that once you have a coach encouraging you to achieve your dreams, purely for the love of the game, then you know your mental game is on-point.
One thing we’ll definitely be taking away from watching Charlotte ride is that it really isn’t your ability, but your mental game that counts.
There’s raw talent, there’s gut instinct, and then there’s plain crazy. Combine it all and you get the mental power of a champion. Train, change it up when you get down, and remember all the things you ‘can’ do, not what you can’t.
If you have an inspiring story to tell or want to be involved in the next Introducing Sessions, drop us an email on: [email protected]
Lilly Richardson
Bringing you stories to inspire, motivate and achieve. Lets create your sustainable life.